Grace Under Water: Elderly Woman Calls 911 After Plunge in Canal

76-year-old Coral Springs woman nearly drowns after crashing into a canal

An elderly woman nearly drowned Thursday morning after her car plunged into a canal in Coral Springs.

Eva K. Rubino, 76, is lucky to be alive after her car ended up in a canal on the 10000 block of Northwest 29th Street shortly before 5 a.m., according to Coral Springs police.

Rubino was able to call 911 as her car was sinking into the canal, police said, giving them the location of where she'd gone in.

"This is an emergency, my car is in the water," Rubino tells the 911 operator during the call. "I can't open my door and I'm sitting in the water in the car.

Rubino tells the operator that she's disabled, the water is up to her chest and she can't get the doors open.

"The water's rising in the car, I mean, this is a real emergency, I can't get the doors open," she says. "Please hurry."

The call ends a short time later.

Officers responded to the scene and found Rubino trapped in her white 2001 Hyundai.

The officers formed a chain to reach the car, broke a window and reached in and pulled Rubino to safety.

She was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center where she's in stable condition.

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